Universal Credit Could Take Free School Meals Away.

As we all know, there is a new benefits system due to take over soon and there has been  lots of speculation over the effects such a big change will have on all of us.

Charities are now speculating that once Universal Credit comes into practice, children who already receive free school meals could lose them.

A spokesman from The Children’s Society told The Mirror: ‘We are concerned that – without an explicit guarantee from Government – children in families who are moved onto Universal Credit could see their free school meals taken away. The new system aims to be simpler to use and to make sure that work always pays, which will help the people who rely on it. But important details, like knowing whether your child will get a free school meal, can make a huge difference to families trying to make their budgets stretch.‘

It seems that lots of people have been left confused over the new Universal Credit system and what changes it will bring. We know that the system will be rolled out to families over the next two years but many are still unsure if they will be affected by this or not.

Currently, children with parents on Income support, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income- related Employment and Support Allowance, State Pension Credit and Child Tax Credit are entitled to free school meals in reception and years one and two.  But this could change as officials could find it difficult deciding which families can claim the extra benefits.

The Department of Education have announced that they still are unsure of how they will determine the criteria of free school meals but will announce the proposals in ‘due course’.

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